Podcasts

Composer Ethan Iverson talks about The Beatles and the music behind Mark Morris' new work, Pepperland.
Pepperland premieres May 25, 2017 in Liverpool.
The City of Liverpool kicks off its Sgt. Pepper at 50 Festival, a summer-long tribute to the 50th anniversary of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band with Pepperland, a new evening-length work by Mark Morris.
Pepperland features an original score by composer Ethan Iverson inspired by the songs “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”, “With a Little Help From My Friends”, “A Day in the Life”, “When I’m Sixty-Four”, “Within You Without You”, and “Penny Lane”. An unprecedented chamber music ensemble of voice, theremin, soprano sax, trombone, piano, organ, harpsichord, and percussion will tease out and elaborate on Sgt. Pepper’s non-rock and roll influences. Arrangements of half a dozen songs from the album will intermingle with Pepper-inspired original pieces intended especially for Morris’ profound understanding of classical forms: Allegro, Scherzo, Adagio, and the blues.
markmorrisdancegroup.org
Sgt Pepper at 50 (25 May – 16 June 2017) is Liverpool’s extraordinary response to the most influential album ever made, on the 50th anniversary of its release, with performances, installations, live spectacle and moments of surprise across the city. The programme features 13 major commissions by Culture Liverpool of international artists working in partnership with Liverpool’s world-class arts organisations, responding to the 13 legendary tracks on The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
www.SgtPepperat50.com for full programme details.

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"Layla and Majun" is a love story that's been told and re-told in thousands of variations by poets, minstrels, dancers and musicians throughout the Middle East and Central Asia for centuries.

Dancer and choreographer Mark Morris, director of Mark Morris Dance Group, joins us to discuss “The Hard Nut” at BAM, his fresh yet faithful homage to “The Nutcracker.” The show blends ballet, modern and folk dance and sets the story in 1970s against vibrant pop-art inspired backdrops, complete with go-go boots, G.I. Joe soldiers and a dancing Barbie doll, juxtaposed against Tchaikovsky’s original score.

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Mark Morris Dance Center

The mission of the Mark Morris Dance Group is to develop, promote, and sustain dance, music, and opera productions by Mark Morris and to serve as a cultural resource to engage and enrich the community.